This study compared the degradation of dissolved organic matter (DOM) by UV/chlorine advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) with emerging ultraviolet light-emitting diode (UV-LED, 275 nm) and traditional low pressure UV (LPUV, 254 nm) as UV sources. Excitation emission matrix-parallel factor (EEM-PARAFAC) analysis and two-dimensional (2D) correlation gel permeation chromatograph were applied to explore the evolutions of DOM during oxidation processes. The degradation behaviors of DOM indicated by UV absorbance at 254 nm (UV 254 ), dissolved organic carbon (DOC), and fluorophores fitted the pseudo-first-order kinetics well. The removal efficiency of DOM was similar under UV-LED and LPUV irradiation alone. However, UV-LED exhibited much higher degradation rates (increased by 29–160%) than LPUV regardless of the tracking variables during UV/chlorine processes. For three PARAFAC components, humic-like fluorescences were preferentially degraded by UV/chlorine oxidation compared with protein-like fluorescence potentially due to the differences of electronic moieties and molecular weight (MW). The decline in UV 254 , DOC, and fluorophores increased with increasing chlorine dosage; linear correlations between those indicators were observed during the two AOPs. Moreover, UV-LED/chlorine could achieve greater extents of MW change. Our study demonstrated that UV-LED could be a superior alternative for the future selection of UV source in the UV/chlorine process.
This study investigated a sustainable approach through dielectric barrier discharge (DBD) enhanced Fenton technology coupling nanofiltration (NF) process for landfill leachate treatment. The DBD/Fe(II)/H 2 O 2 system exhibited significant synergistic effects, removing 55.07 % of TOC and 53.79 % of UV 254 within 60 min, respectively. Additionally, the DBD/Fe(II)/H 2 O 2 system demonstrated exceptional performance in removing fluorescent substances and large molecular organic compounds, thereby reducing the formation of cake layer on the nanofiltration membrane. Moreover, membrane flux increased by 2.34 times, with reversible and irreversible resistances decreasing by 75.79 % and 81.55 %, respectively. Quenching experiments revealed ·OH as the primary active species for perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) degradation in the DBD/Fe(II)/H 2 O 2 process. The degradation pathway of PFOA was also elucidated via capillary electrophoresis-quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry analysis. Correlation analysis indicated that TOC and EEM were the primary fouling factors. Lastly, through an assessment of energy consumption, economic costs, and carbon dioxide emissions, the advantages and practical application potential of the DBD/Fe(II)/H 2 O 2 system were demonstrated. In summary, the DBD/Fe(II)/H 2 O 2 system emerges as a feasible strategy for NF pretreatment, holding immense potential for treating landfill leachate.